Hypodermic syringe defreezing means and method



M. J. SHEFT July 15, 1958 HYPODERMIC SYRINGE DEFREEZING MEANS AND METHODINVENTOR. Mikaela-J Sfigft,

Filed Sept. 29, 1953 \N Mm WN aw m F ,4 Zia/lag HYPODERMIC SYRINGEDEFREEZENG MEANS AND METHUD Matthew J. Sheft, Passaic, N.

Application September 29, 1953, Serial No. 382,916

Claims. (Cl. 134--22) My invention relates to defreezing means and moreparticularly to a method and means effective for defreezing or unlockingfrozen plungers within barrels of syringes or other similar structures.

After use, glass hypodermic syringes are often left with the plungerdisposed entirely or partially within the barrel or is physicallyincapable of applying sufiicient force or pull to effect the release.Furthermore, the exertion of force or pull thus applied often results ina breakage of the barrel and injury to the hands by cutting andsometimes the subsequent introduction into the wounds of some of theresidue of the fluid which may be dangerous. In many hospitals,institutions, laboratories and offices, no appreciable attempt is madeto defreeze frozen plungers or syringes with the result that thesyringes are discarded. In each of many hospitals, it is not unusual forseveral hundred syringes a year to be discarded or destroyed because offrozen plungers. Obviously, this represents a con siderable monetaryloss.

My invention overcomes the foregoing difficulties and disadvantages, itbeing one of the objects thereof to provide defreezing means forattachment to a hypodermic syringe and which is effective for releasingor defreezing the plunger.

Another object of my invention is to provide defreezing means of theforegoing described character which may be readily attached to thedischarge end of the barrel of a syringe without modification of saidsyringe.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method for defreezingthe plunger of a syringe by means responsive to temperature variation.

An important object of my invention is to provide defreezing means ofthe foregoing described character which is simple in construction,durable in use, eflicient in operation, economical in manufacture,capable of extended and frequent uses over long periods and easilyconditioned for reuse.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of partshereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings fromwhich the sev eral features of the invention and the advantages attainedthereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference char acters designatelike parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hypodermic syringe having my inventionapplied thereto.

Figure 2 is a view similar ot Figure 1 but showing "2,843,508 PatentedJuly 15, 1958 2;. the components in disassembled relation and. thesyringe equipped with a needle.

Figure 3 is a detail fragmentary longitudinal section of the componentsdisclosed in Figure 1.

In practicing my invention, as illustrated in the drawing, I provide ahypodermic syringe 5 of ordinary construction comprising a glass barrel6 in which is reciprocally mounted a ground glass plunger 7 providedwith the usual flange or finger-piece 8 at its outer end to case its useand a flat or plane radial face 9 at its inner end. One end of thebarrel 6 is provided with a flange or finger-piece 19 for coaction withthe flange 8 to facilitate operation of the plunger '7 in the acceptedmanner. The opposite or needleend of the barrel 6 is formed with theusual radial wall 11 provided with an outwardly disposed relatively widecollar or nipple 12 on which is fixed a coupling member 13 constitutinga component of a coupling 14, An opening 15 extends through the Wall 11,nipple 12 and member 13 whereby medicinal fluid may be introduced intothe barrel and discharged therefrom as is the customary practice. Asillustrated in broken lines in Figure 2 of the drawing, a hypodermicneedle 16 is provided with a coupling member 17 constituting anothercomponent of the coupling 14 and which coacts with the member 13 todetachably secure the needle to the barrel to permit injection of thefluid contained in the barrel into the body.

In the operation of syringes of the foregoing described character,medicinal fluid is drawn through the opening 1% into the end of thebarrel 6 by pulling the plunger 7 outwardly until a preestablishedamount of the fluid is contained within the barrel 6 between the face 9of the plunger 7 and the wall 11 whereupon, theneedle 16 being appropriately inserted within the body, the plunger 7 is moved inwardlyand thus discharges or forces the fluid from the barrel and through theopening 15 to thus complete the injection. Upon the injection beingcompleted, the needle is usually removed by disconnecting the member 17from the member 13. In instances where the '7 is left in its dischargedposition or partially withdrawn from the barrel 6, it often becomesfrozen or locked therein against relative movement as is well known inthe art.

In order to effect defreezing, unlocking or release of the plunger 7relative to the barrel 6, I provide a relatively small flask orcontainer, for instance, a hollow metal cyiinder 20, open and providedat one end with a cot, member 21 for interlocking relation with themember The member 21 is identical or similar to the member 1? of theneedle and thus constitutes a component of the cou pling 1d. The member21 is formed with a relatively small opening 22 communicating with theinterior of the cylinder 20 and, when connected with the member 13, theopening 22 coacts with the opening 15 to provide a continuous passageeffecting communication between the interior of the barrel 6 and theinterior of the cylinder cylinder contains a wetting agent, forinstance, a mixed with soap or other suitable detergent appreciableexpansive ratio in response to tempera.u variation.

In use-assuming the plunger 7 is frozen the barrel 6 and the cylinder 20connected to the barrel by the coupling 14- the syringe and cylinder aresubmerged in hot water 23 held in some suitable container 24, as shownin Fig. 1, with the result that the wetting agent expands within thecylinder and is thus forced through the openings 15 and 22 into thebarrel against the plunger 7. When the wetting agent is thus forced intothe barrel, it penetrates the seal about the plunger and breaks the samethus unlocking, releasing or defreezing the plunger and permitting it tobe removed from the barrel. When the plunger is thus released, thecylinder is detached from the barrel and may be readily refilled withthe wetting agent by submerging the cylinder in a bath of the wettingagent of a It is obvious that the invention is not confined solely tothe use herein disclosed in conection therewith as it may be utilizedfor any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is therefor to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specificconstruction as illustrated and described, as the same is onlyillustrative of the principles involved which are capable of extendedapplication in various forms, and the invention comprehends allconstruction within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of releasing a frozen and normally reciprocable pistondisposed within a cylinder, comprising filling with an expansible liquidwetting agent a portable receptacle adapted to be freely supported inthe hands of a human being, coupling said receptacle to said cylinder toeffect open communication between said cylinder and said receptacle, andsubjecting said receptacle to a sufl'iciently higher temperature thansaid liquid to expand the latter to a degree wherein it is introducedinto said cylinder at such a rate that it penetrates and breaks thefreezing seal between said piston and said cylinder to force release ofsaid piston.

2. The method of releasing a frozen and normally re ciprocable plungerdisposed within the barrel of a hypodermic syringe, comprising fillingwith an expansible liquid wetting agent a portable receptacle adapted tobe freely supported, in the hands of a human being, coupling saidreceptacle to said barrel to effect open communication between saidbarrel and said receptacle, and subjecting said receptacle to asufliciently higher temperature than said liquid to expand the latter toa degree wherein it is introduced into said barrel at such a rate thatit penetrates and breaks the freezing seal between said plunger and saidbarrelto force release of said barrel.

3. The method of releasing a frozen and normally reciprocable plungerdisposed within the barrel of a hypodermic syringe, comprising, fillingwith an expansible liquid wetting agent a portable receptacle adapted tobe freely supported in the hands of ahuman being, coupling saidreceptacle to said barrel to effect open communication between saidbarrel and said receptacle, and submerging said receptacle into a fluidhaving a sufiiciently higher temperature than said liquid to expand thelatter to a degree wherein it is introduced into said barrel at such arate that it penetrates and breaks the freezing seal between saidplunger and said barrel toforce release of said plunger.

4. Means for freeing a frozen plunger in a hypodermic syringe of thetype having a barrel equipped with a plunger normally reciprocablewithin the barrel and a coupling element on one end of the barrel forcooperation with coupling means on one. end of a hypodermic needle fordetachably connecting the needle to said barrel, comprising a portableflask adapted to be freely supported in the hands of a human being andhaving walls of a material that readily conducts heat, said flaskdefining a chamber of a constant predetermined volume for containing anexpansible liquid and having a single port communicating with saidchamber through which said liquid flows, said walls being fixed relativeto each other and structurally integrally connect'ed together tomaintain the constancy of said volume against variation for effectingflow of said liquid out of said chamber through said port upon expansionof said liquid by heat when said flask is heated to a pre-establisheddegree, and coupling means on said flask substantially like saidcoupling means on said needle for cooperation with said coupling elementfor detachably connecting said flask to the barrel to prevent separationof said barrel and said flask under the influence of pressure alone andto establish communication between said flask and the barrel throughsaid port so as to permit flow of said liquid into said barrel from saidchamber to engage and release said frozen plunger upon expansion of saidliquid into said barrel when said flask is heated to said degree.

5. In combination with a hypodermic syringe of the type having a frozenand normally reciprocable plunger disposed Within a barrel and acoupling element on one end of the barrel for cooperation with couplingmeans on one end of a hypodermic needle for detachably connecting: theneedle to said barrel, a portable flask adapted to be freely supportedin the hands of a human being and having walls of a material thatreadily conducts heat, said flask defining a chamber of a constantpredetermined volume for containing an expansible liquid and having asingle port communicating with said chamber through which said liquidflows, said walls being fixed relative to each other and structurallyintegrally connected together to maintain the constancy of said volumeagainst variation for effecting flow of said liquid out of said chamberthrough said port.

upon expansion of said liquid by heat when said flask. is heated to apre-established degree, and coupling means on said flask substantiallylike said coupling means on said needle cooperating with said couplingelement for detachably connecting said flask to the barrel to prevent.separation of said barrel and said flask under the influence of pressurealone and to establish communication between said flask and the barrelthrough said port so. as to, permitflow of said liquid into said barrelfrom said chamber to engage and release said frozen. plunger uponexpansion of said liquid into said barrel when said flask is heated-tosaid degree.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS:

145,217 Leiter Dec. 2,1879 1,121,802 Clark Dec. 22, 1914 1,793,068Dickinson Feb. 17, 1931 1,863,755 Lodde June 21', 1932 1,865,289Trowbridge June 28, 1932' 1,999,571 Nickerson Apr. 30, 1935 2,637,668Eftihios May 5', 1953' 2,682,070 Lemoine June 29, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS809,697 Germany Aug. 2, 1951

1. THE METHOD OF RELEASING A FROZEN AND NORMALLY RECIPROCABLE PISTONDISPOSED WITHIN A CYLINDER, COMPRISING FILLING WITH AN EXPANSIBLE LIQUIDWETTING AGENT A PORTABLE RECEPTACLE ADAPTED TO BE FREELY SUPPORTED INTHE HANDS OF A HUMAN BEING, COUPLING SAID RECEPTACLE TO SAID CYLINDER TOEFFECT OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CYLINDER AND SAID RECEPTACLE, ANDSUBJECTING SAID RECEPTACLE TO A SUFFICIENTLY HIGHER TEMPRATURE THAN SAIDLIQUID TO EXPAND THE LATTER TO A DEGREE WHEREIN IT IS INTRODUCED INTOSAID CLYINDER AT SUCH A RATE THAT IT PENETRATES AND BREAKS THE FREEZINGSEAL BETWEEN SAID PISTON AND SAID CYLINDER TO FORCE RELEASE OF SAIDPISTON.
 4. MEANS FOR FREEING A FROZEN PLUNGER IN A HYPODERMIC SYRINGE OFTHE TYPE HAVING A BARREL EQUIPPED WITH A PLUNGER NORMALLY RECIPROCABLEWITHIN THE BARREL AND A COUPLING ELEMENT ON ONE END OF THE BARREL FORCOOPERATION WITH COUPLING MEANS ON ONE END OF A HYPODERMIC NEEDLE FORDETACHABLY CONNECTING THE NEEDLE TO SAID BARREL, COMPRISING A PORTABLEFLASK ADAPTED TOS BE FREELY SUPPORTED IN THE HANDS OF A HUMAN BEING ANDHAVING WALLS OF A MATERIAL THAT READILY CONDUCTS HEAT, SAID FLASKDEFINING A CHAMBER OF A CONSTANT PREDETERMINED VOLUME FOR CONTAINING ANEXPANSIBLE LIQUID AND HAVING A SINGLE PORT COMMUNICATING WITH SAIDCHAMBER THROUGH WHICH SAID LIQUID FLOWS, SAID WALLS BEING FIXED RELATIVETO EACH OTHER AND STRUCTURALLY INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER TO MAINTAINTHE CONSTANCY OF SAID VOLUME AGAINST VARIATION FOR EFFECTING FLOW OFSAID LIQUID OUT OF SAID CHAMBER THROUGH SAID PORT UPON EXPANSION OF SAIDLIQUID BY HEAT WHEN SAID FLASK IS HEATED TO A PRE-ESTABLISHED DEGREE,AND COUPLING MEANS ON SAID FLASK SUBSTANTIALLY LIKE AND COUPLING MEANSON SAID NEEDLE FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID COUPLING ELEMENT FOR DETACHABLYCONNECTING SAID FLASK TO THE BARREL TO PREVENT SEPARATION OF SAID BARRELAND SAID FLASK UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PRESSURE ALONE AND TO ESTABLISHCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID FLASK AND THE BARREL THROUGH SAID PORT SO ASTO PERMIT FLOW OF SAID LIQUID INTO SAID BARREL FROM SAID CHAMBER TOENGAGE AND RELEASE SAID FROZEN PLUNGER UPON EXPANSION OF SAID LIQUIDINTO SAID BARREL WHEN SAID FLASK IS HEATED TO SAID DEGREE.